UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (AFP) - The United States and Britain Thursday presented the UN Security Council with a new draft of a resolution on Sudan`s war-ravaged Darfur region, providing for sanctions "in the event of noncompliance."
The council said it would vote on the text Friday.
The word "sanctions," which met with resistance from seven of the 15 Security Council members, is absent from the text, but the threat remains, since it notes that the council "expresses its intention to consider further actions -- including measures as provided for in Article 41 of the Charter of the United Nations -- on the government of Sudan, in the event of noncompliance." Article 41 provides for sanctions to be applied.
The resolution calls for Khartoum to make good on its July 3 commitments and arrest and try those responsible for the atrocities in Darfur. It also calls for Annan to issue a report in 30 days on the progress made in each of those areas.
Up to 50,000 people have been killed and about 1.2 million have been displaced in the region in 17 months of conflict. Of those 1.2 million, some 200,000 have fled to neighboring Chad.
The Janjaweed, the main Arab militia group allied with the government, has been blamed for many of the atrocities carried out against civilians in Darfur.
Annan`s spokesman said the secretary general is "gravely concerned about reports of continuing intimidation, threats and attacks against internally displaced persons in Darfur.
"He is particularly disturbed by reports of rape by Janjaweed militias in West Darfur and severe harassment of displaced persons by government security personnel in several camps in North Darfur, including Zam Zam camp, which the secretary general himself visited on 30 June."
The spokesman added that Annan urges the Sudanese government "to abide immediately by its commitments to ensure the protection and security of all internally displaced persons in Darfur."